Decadent Red Wine Chocolate Cake Recipe for Special Occasions

This rich, moist, and indulgent red wine chocolate cake is ideal for holidays, birthdays, or any special occasion.

Red wine chocolate cake is an elegant treat that’s surprisingly simple to make. It has the ease of a classic layer cake but the refined flavor you’d expect from an upscale restaurant.

Serve a velvety dark chocolate cake flavored with red wine and finished with a thick chocolate frosting to impress guests — they’ll be convinced you’re a pro in the kitchen.

Also try this Chocolate Mug Cake

Watch the red wine chocolate cake video above

Red wine chocolate cake ingredients

Ingredients include flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, pure vanilla extract, a sweetener, baking soda, salt, applesauce or yogurt, oil or almond butter, water, and red wine.

This recipe works well with spelt flour or standard white all-purpose flour. Other flours (whole wheat, gluten-free blends, oat, pastry, almond, or coconut) may alter texture and are not tested here. A low-carb option is noted in the recipe box, but avoid substituting almond or coconut flours directly for the regular flour called for.

For the cocoa, you can use 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, or combine 1/4 cup Dutch-process with 1/2 cup regular cocoa for a slightly different chocolate profile.

To make this cake vegan, choose dairy-free yogurt or use applesauce. The recipe is naturally egg- and butter-free.

Use leftover wine to make Chocolate Sorbet

What type of red wine?

You can bake this cake with your preferred red wine. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah (Shiraz), Chianti, Malbec, Tempranillo, or Pinot Noir all work well. Fuller-bodied reds will give a bolder flavor while lighter wines create a subtler note.

Chocolate naturally pairs with red wine, but white wine will also work if that’s what you have on hand. Choose a wine you enjoy drinking — and if you pour a glass while baking, please do so responsibly.

How to make a red wine chocolate cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round or square pans, or line them with parchment. Alternatively, see the Bundt instructions below.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, sweetener, and optional chocolate chips.

If using almond butter, warm it gently until it’s easy to stir. Combine the oil or almond butter with the applesauce or yogurt, water, red wine, and vanilla extract.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until they are just combined — avoid over-mixing. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 550 g per pan if using a scale).

Bake on the middle rack for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans briefly, run a knife around the edges, and invert each cake onto a plate. For a layered cake, frost each layer and stack, then finish the outside with frosting.

Chocolate red wine Bundt cake

You can bake the batter in a 10-cup Bundt pan if preferred. Grease the pan thoroughly, as Bundt cakes are prone to sticking.

Bundt cakes often need more time in the oven. Check for doneness with a toothpick after 30 minutes and continue baking until it comes out mostly clean. This recipe also adapts to a 9×13-inch pan, or halve it for an 8×8-inch pan.

Frosting and decorating the cake

I topped this cake with a chocolate cream cheese frosting, but any chocolate frosting, vanilla buttercream, or cream cheese frosting will complement the cake. For a lighter finish, pour chocolate ganache over the top or dust with powdered sugar and scatter fresh berries.

For an elegant look, let ganache drip down the sides and adorn the top with chocolate truffles or chocolate-covered strawberries. Because the cake doesn’t rise dramatically, there’s usually no need to level the tops before stacking.